The Obsessed
Incarnate (MIA)
by Brian Varney
The Obsessed are one of those bands about whom people in the know say “What if?” Long-time favorites of fellow musicians and underground hipsters, the Obsessed were ignored for most of their existence. Begun in the late ’70s in Washington DC, their metal-tinged sound was clearly out of place in that era’s punkscape. Though they were favorites of local punkers like Minor Threat, three longhairs doing heavy music didn’t have much of a chance with DC’s hardcore kiddies. Though they’re now beginning to receive some long-overdue credit (many are calling them the primary inspiration for the now-burgeoning “hard-doom-stoner rock” scene), their albums and singles are all out of print and kinda tough to find. But lucky for both you and me, MIA/Southern Lord have issued the collection which stands before me.
Though Incarnate is an odds-and-sods type collection, it’s actually the only Obsessed release in print. Despite the time and lineup differences inherent in this sort of collection, the thing coheres very well. Incarnate spans the band’s whole recorded career, from the three tracks of the 1983 debut 7″ to a previously unissued cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “On the Hunt” from 1994. And although these types of collections often show bands at their not-quite-best, Incarnate does quite a good job highlighting the band’s strengths – good tunes, Wino’s ragged voice (not quite as raw as Lemmy’s, but more expressive) and astounding guitar work, and a rock-solid rhythm section. The songs themselves are good, well-structured variations on the basic ROCK template as created by Sabbath, Skynyrd, and Zeppelin. Oh yeah, and they like Grand Funk, too (whose arrangement of “Inside Looking Out” they nick for their cover of the Animals’ classic).
Seriously, Scott “Wino” Weinrich is a national treasure, responsible for some of the best rock music to be produced in the last decades. And judging by the quality of his current band, Spirit Caravan (whose latest release, the Dreamwheel EP on MeteorCity, is the best thing he’s done), I’d say he’s not done talking just yet. So stop being a chump and listen to the man.
(www.mia-records.com)
